Google Chrome Ad Blocking Causes Unease

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that Google is the most popular web browser used in the world. In fact, “Just Google it” is pretty much synonymous with researching online. Google has continued to grow exponentially to become a household name since its inception in 1998.

There is much speculation as to how Google has achieved its priority status. One reason is its powerful search algorithms. However, the Internet giant has also placed a lot of focus on creating some highly useful tools for free. Gmail, Google Maps/Earth, Google Business, and Google Plus are just some of the many free products/tools offered. Naturally, the more you use its tools, the more likely you are to use Google as your search engine. Thus, Google continues to grow and attract more users.

However, there are some who worry that Google may have a little too much power on the Internet. Because of how large the company has grown, Google’s new ad blocker brings with it some relief for consumers but uneasiness for publishers.

Google Chrome has begun flagging any advertising formats that fail to reach the standards adopted by the Coalition for Better Ads. This basically means that any sites with unacceptable ad formats such as certain pop-ups, autoplay video ads with sound, and flashing animated ads will be warned they are not up to standards. If that publisher doesn’t fix its issues within 30 days of the notice, all of the ads on their site will be blocked by the browser.

While this is helpful for many people who are tired of seeing annoying, spammy ads, it can also result in some real issues to site publishers who rely on these ads as a primary source of revenue. Many publishers are worried that the new blocking could ruin their ad-supported websites. However, Google has gone above and beyond to help allay some of those fears. Many publishers were warned several months in advance that their ads were not up to standards, and Google staff members explained how to fix those issues. In fact, less than 1% of publishers will be affected by this change because many of them have made the necessary changes on their own.

The Coalition for Better Ads is an industry group that is focused on improving user experience when it comes to online advertising. Based on the organization’s standards, here are the different formatted ads that will now be blocked by Google:

Pop-up ads with a countdown

Sticky ads

Autoplay video ads with sound

While some publishers are worried about how this new move will affect them, many are optimistic that eliminating annoying ads will reduce the need for other third-party ad blockers, give them better rankings, and even create a better world (virtually speaking).

Here are ads that Google won’t be blocking:

Long, skinny ads

Long, static images

Static inline images

Pop-up ads without the countdown

Autoplay video ads without sound

Not everyone agrees with Google’s vision, and many suspect that the Chrome ad blocker may be less about improving the browsing experience, and more about what benefits Google. But there is hope that the new industry ad standards will not only improve the viewer’s experience, it will also add value in terms of consumer brand perception.